Colombia will send its presidential plane to Honduras to pick up Colombians after the country refused to accept migrant deportation flights from the United States, causing President Trump to enact tariffs and other retaliatory measures on Sunday.

Following the escalating diplomatic row with the United States, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced Sunday that his government is sending the country’s presidential plane to Honduras to repatriate Colombian nationals who were originally scheduled to arrive via U.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that Colombia was suspending permission for previously authorized U.S. deportation flights to land in Colombia. Ostensibly driving Petro’s action were concerns that Colombian nationals were not being treated with respect during the deportation process because they were being transported by military aircraft.

President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro defended their views on social media and imposed tariffs on each other’s goods.

The Latin Times spoke with Manuel Camilo González Vides, head teacher of foreign affairs at Bogota's Universidad Javeriana, to get his assessment on Sunday's diplomatic standoff

The country’s leader, Gustavo Petro, backed down after a clash with President Trump, which started when Mr. Petro turned back U.S. military planes carrying deportees.

The United States and Colombia, long close partners in anti-narcotics efforts, are clashing over the deportation of migrants and imposed tariffs on each other’s goods in a show of what countries could face if they intervene in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Colombia is the U.S.’s fourth-largest overseas supplier of crude oil, shipping about 209,000 barrels of oil per day last year.

The US said it would not move forward with tariffs and some sanctions on Colombia after a spat over deportation flights. Colombia earlier said it would impose 25% tariffs on US goods.

Colombia accepted 475 deportation flights from the United States from 2020 to 2024, fifth behind Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador, according to Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that tracks flight data. It accepted 124 deportation flights in 2024.

Trump said the measures were necessary, because the decision of Colombian President Gustavo Petro “jeopardized” national security in the U.S.